Is it safe to go back in the water? A fatal attack on the Northern Beaches has reignited debate over shark nets at Sydney beaches. Catherine Lewis looks at whether they work – and is it safe to head back out to sea?
When Mercury ‘Merc’ Psillakis paddled into the morning surf at Dee Why on the eve of Father’s Day to enjoy his ‘greatest passion,’ it would be for the last time. A cornerstone of the local surfing community, husband, father and brother, Mercury was fatally attacked by a shark at a netted beach after he warned other surfers to get out of the water.
His death prompted immediate suspension of a NSW Government trial to remove three shark nets from Sydney beaches and reignited debate over their effectiveness and environmental impact.
Our fear of sharks runs deep – rooted in psychology, well, psychology and Hollywood. The odds of being killed by a shark in Australia is one in eight million, the same as being killed by a kangaroo, says the Nature Conservancy, yet 75% of the population tracked in Sea Life Sydney data have an ‘innate fear’ of sharks, thanks in part to fear of the mysterious, fear of the depths… and the 1975 blockbuster Jaws. Just one death had been recorded across Sydney’s beaches in 60 years and there had been no fatal attacks in NSW on a netted beach since 1951, though there have been ‘encounters,’ says the Australian Shark-Incident Database.
Over the last decade, shark fatalities across the country have averaged 2.8 each year – so low that there is statistically no difference in shark fatalities between netted and unnetted beaches. But fear breeds fear, so the nets were unfurled.
The 150-metre-long mesh rectangles were in place year-round until 1983, running parallel to the shore around 500 metres out. Contrary to beach-goer belief, they do not provide a barricade, but rather a disruption to a shark’s path, allowing them to swim over, under and around while aiming to redirect them away. Nets are now installed from 1 September to 31 March each year at Dee Why, Manly and 13 other parts of the Northern Beaches, with the NSW-wide program costing $2.6 million across a total of 50 sites. This year, the nets were taken down one month earlier due to increased turtle activity in April.
“The government’s priority is the safety of beachgoers; at the same time we are committed to protecting our state’s marine life,” says Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty. “As we map the future of our (2024-25 $21.5 million) Shark Management Program, we will consider the best available evidence to ensure we are striking the right balance at our beaches.”
It is this balance that has long been called into question as the environmental impacts of nets vie with their deterrent aims. Nets indiscriminately trap and kill marine life, with FOI documents released to the Humane Society for Animals showing that 223 animals were caught during the 2024/25 season, with two out of three killed. Only 24 were target species – 18 great whites, four bull and two tiger sharks. While four dolphins, 13 turtles – of which seven died – and 11 grey nurse sharks were snared, four of whom died. Forty per cent of sharks caught were tangled on the beach side of the net, suggesting they were trying to leave the area. The charity also has ‘dangerously ironic’ images proving that large sharks feed on entangled dead and dying marine life, calling nets ‘akin to ringing a dinner bell,’ enticing sharks closer to shore.
“There is no doubt the damage done by nets far outweigh the benefits, if indeed there are any,” Macquarie University professor and fish and shark scientist, Culum Brown, tells Peninsula Living. “Statistical analysis of unprovoked bites shows there is no difference between netted and unnetted beaches. Part of the reason for this is that bites are just so rare. Nets are a recognised threatening process for marine animals. Even those that are released are likely to die. Ninety per cent of animals caught are non-target species and a third of those are threatened or protected.
“In short, the environmental impact is catastrophic. The only reason shark nets are still in place is because both public and politicians don’t understand how they work. They are a fishing net hanging in the water. They do not screen the beach. We need a genuine government-funded education campaign to explain how they work and why they are obsolete,” he adds.
Professor Culum Brown
In the wake of Mercury’s death, plans to trial net removal across areas including the Central Coast and Northern Beaches – with Mayor Sue Heins previously saying that council ‘would not object’ to Palm Beach having nets removed – have been stalled. “Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close-knit surfing community,” says Premier Chris Minns. “We haven’t settled on the location or technology that would replace nets and we believe the right thing to do is to wait for the investigation to come back about how this happened…before we take that kind of decision.”
Mayor Heins agrees that pausing the trial for now is appropriate, but Terrigal MP Adam Crouch says that it is a ‘setback for practical, non-lethal shark management,’ and that he and Central Coast Council continue to ‘support’ the trial.
Professor Brown says government needs to be realistic about the shark threat. Great whites – the species determined to have killed Mercury – are more active along Australia’s east coast at this time of year due to whale migration, but the risk of a fatal attack is ‘ridiculously small given the millions of people swimming at our beaches,’ he says. A ‘rational perspective on the actual risk’ of attacks and use of nets is needed, he adds, calling on government to stop ‘wasting taxpayer money on something that does not pose a significant risk’ and is so damaging to marine life.
But Minister Moriarty says that government has already ‘taken significant steps to increase the Shark Management Program’s safeguards for marine animals,’ including increasing net inspection frequency, drone surveillance to scout for turtles, a net light trial to deter turtles and fitting nets with acoustic warning devices to discourage dolphins and whales.
Alternative Shark Management Program deterrents include SMART drumlines (shark-management-alert-in-real time). These comprise an anchor, two buoys and a satellite-linked GPS communications unit linked to a baited hook which, if bitten, alerts a crew. The team then tag the shark with externally fin-mounted satellite tags and surgically inserted acoustic tags, and relocate it 1km offshore. They can then be detected on the NSW coastal network of 37 real-time tagged shark listening stations, triggering an instant alert to the SharkSmart app if they swim within 500 metres of the drumline, with real-time alerts accessible to beachgoers.
Drumlines allowed 413 target sharks such as white, tiger and bull, to be caught, tagged and released last year, says Professor Brown. “Drumline bycatch (unintentionally caught non-target species) is nearly zero and the survival rate after release is much higher. We also have a growing drone deployment system, but it could be a lot better. Drones can be pre-programmed and return to base to charge, so can be fully automated, with AI technology built in that recognises sharks and sends warnings to get people out of the water. Listening to the politicians, you would think that there are no truly viable alternatives (to nets), but nothing is further from the truth,” he adds.
Planning for a future without ‘extraordinary and magnetic’ Mercury is unfathomable for many, but for those that ‘surf every day and love the ocean,’ as his family says he did, refusing to let fear win is key. Tim Quinn, co-president of Queenscliff Boardriders, says that members have felt ‘vulnerable and apprehensive about returning to the water.’ The club has continued its monthly community competition with ‘incredible support’ from Surfing NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW ‘boosting confidence and allowing us to get back to what we love.’ And surely that’s what Mercury, so ‘deeply connected’ to the surfing community, would want – to continue chasing that break of dreams.